Regional food security situation

Overall, the food security situation in the region is still slightly improving, confirming the trend registered over the past 3-4 months. Those improvements follow the above-normal to normal harvests from the past long rains season and good rangeland conditions. However, despite those improvements, areas of high concern persist in the region.

In Somalia, civil insecurity and conflicts continue to be one of the main drivers to food insecurity. In particular in South-Central parts of the country, where high frequency of fighting between opposing groups and related population displacements persist, constraining food and livelihood security and contributing to a protracted situation of Humanitarian Emergency (phase 4, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis, IPC ).

Other populations classified in a phase of Humanitarian Emergency are located in the Darfur States of Sudan. It is estimated that more than half of the population in Northern Darfur and approximately 20% of the population of Western Darfur are currently facing this emergency situation, mainly due to poor food availability and access in the first State and to conflict, civil insecurity and displacements in the latter.